


Back to Work

by jaimistoryteller



Series: Moments in Another Life [16]
Category: GoldenEye (1995), James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Character Camoes, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Poly-V, Q's cats - Freeform, Transgender Q
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-08 22:30:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11656026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaimistoryteller/pseuds/jaimistoryteller
Summary: It’s after the New Year, everyone has to get back to their respective jobs, that doesn’t mean there won’t still be some personal time for them too.





	1. Farewells and Chatting

**Author's Note:**

> Now working on the [Fluff Prompt Table](http://mi6-cafe.tumblr.com/post/162357594162/007-fest-prompt-tables)

Q’s POV

He loved the fact he got to spend time with his significant others and brothers over the holidays. There is a small part of him mourns the fact his mom has decided to avoid any event where both of his partners are at, but that is her loss, more than his.  

The day after New Years, he’s the first one up, so he makes coffee and tea, though the three agents are up not long after that and Jared shows up just as James sets to making breakfast, evicting him from the kitchen.

They spend the morning chatting about their gifts, their plans, and discussing when the next time they will probably see each other is. Of course, it’s work related.

Harold takes him aside to ask about the Machine. At which point he has to explain that zhe has already reset zherself, has memories, and erases them from any footage they may end up in. His elder brother is not comforted with that knowledge, but appreciates it nonetheless. It means that his creation is no longer in the hands of any one government, it also means that there will probably be changes over time as the Machine adapts and continues to grow. The Machine is going to evolve, transform into something new, probably something unexpected as it does so.

Not long after that, he bids them farewell for the time being.

James takes his brothers and John to the airport, bypassing security the exact same way that Moore had when bringing Harold and John to him.

After the four of them leave, he lets the cats out of his room, curling up on the sofa with Alec.

“I enjoyed getting a chance to visit with them without it being life or death,” he comments, snuggling closer.

“Good,” his love agrees nuzzling his temple and pressing a soft kiss to it.

He smiles fondly, twisting his upper body a bit to kiss Alec lightly on the lips. They haven’t been kissing a lot during the visit, not because his brothers would have a problem with it, but because they were rather busy. Thankfully there weren’t any big work emergencies that interrupted his vacation and time spent with his loved ones.

A little bit later, James is back, and he finds himself as a Q sandwich between his partners. He’s quite alright with that. He goes from just kissing Alec and cuddling, to cuddling with both, and getting kissed by both, nothing too energetic or passionate, just a reconnection, affectionate presses of lips together, sharing breath.

“I like your brothers,” James announces after a while. “More than I expected.”

“That about sums them up,” Alec chuckles, “I didn’t know what to make of Jared, and then Q, and then later Harold. Harold’s the one I know the least of the three.”

He grins, deciding to add his two cents, “Mum’s the one I get the least. Although Harold and I discussed the fact it appears Jared was playing matchmaker. Though we’re not sure if it was intentional or not.”

For awhile no one remarks or even moves beyond little shifts here and there.

Alec’s toying with the hair at the nape of his neck, green eyes distant as if lost in thought. James is snuggled up close to his side, and he’s playing with the ash blonde hair, carding his fingers through it to rub his second partner’s scalp.

“Knowing your brother, it was intentional, or done for the possibility of something to happen.” Alec eventually comments.

“That’s what we figured. So Harold and I have decided we need to match Jared with someone. The problem is, we’re not people persons.”

That earns him some laughter from both. He likes it when they laugh. Just like he likes the calm moments and time spent together.

“Well, you’ve said your farewells for the moment, but we can always make a trip to New York,” Alec suggests, “I’m sure that between Harold and you, you’ll come with someone who would be a good match for Jared.”

He grins and nods, the sardonyx blonde has a good point. This is definitely an excellent way to end his vacation. 


	2. Before Work

Q’s POV

He wants to grumble when his alarm goes off but doesn’t, it wouldn’t do him any good. He’s had nine days off, it’s time to get back to work like a good adult. Besides, he doesn’t actually like being away for so long. What if something happened and no one wanted to tell him because they were concerned it’d be a bother? Logically he knows that the system would have alerted him to any major problems, but that doesn’t make him feel much better.

Alec is out of bed before it’s even done going off, heading towards the kitchen to heat water for tea and make coffee. They have such a wonderful partner.

Sighing, he scoots out of the middle of the bed, turning off the alarm, and heading towards the bathroom in order to get a shower and get ready for his day to start. Since he knew he had to work, he set up the clothing last night so he wouldn’t have to worry about it now.

After his shower, he stops by the bed just long enough give a drowsing James a gentle kiss on the forehead before leaving the room.

“Taking the tube or want a ride?” Alec queries as he hands over a steaming mug of his favorite morning tea.

“The tube, just to see how the training agent who's supposed to be watching for me does.” He answers with a snicker, taking a sip of the steaming hot tea. “Max has decided that trying to discover my route of going to work is an excellent way for young agents to get practice finding a target.”

James snorts as he emerges from the bedroom, still wearing nothing but his pants and pajama bottoms that hang rather low on his hips. “He’s one of the few who doesn’t like you. Mostly because you’re too agent like for his tastes and he doesn’t know why.”

Still snickering, he answers after another sip, “That’s because I grew up with a Double-O as my role model. Not that he needs to know that. Besides, it’s fun to see if they can figure out how to track me. It gives me a reason to change things up when I am otherwise very fond of patterns and set habits.”

Both of his partners nod in agreement before smiling at each other.

Finishing his tea, he walks in the kitchen in order to set the mug down.

“I’ll bring you lunch,” Alec remarks from the door, amusement lacing his tone.

Chuckling, he nods slowly, “Then I’ll look forward to it.”

James almost pouts, “I’d bring you lunch but I have a feeling I’m going to be called in before that in order to actually work.”

His chuckles turns into low laughter as he gives a small shake of his head.

Crossing the room, he gives his blue eyed partner a hug and quick kiss, murmuring, “Probably but you enjoy the chaos of it all.”

James kisses him back, hands lightly resting on his hips, lips curling into a smirk against his, “Of course.”

His second alarm, the one to actually leave the flat, starts going off, so he steps back, fishing his phone from his pocket and turning it off.

Alec is there a moment later, firm arms looping around him from behind and nose gently nuzzling just behind his ear. “See you at lunch. Call if there’s a problem.”

“I will,” he agrees with a small nod, pressing back for a moment before stepping away. “Until later loves.”

He’s gone before the startled expression on James’ face has faded, giving him a nice and warm feeling. Either he hasn’t shown it enough, or his partner is in shock because he didn’t believe it. Either way, it’s a topic to discuss on one of their upcoming relationship talks. He doesn’t like the idea that James doesn’t know or believe that he loves both of them.


	3. Called In

James’ POV

It’s just past nine am when he is summoned to Six. It doesn’t take him long to get cleaned up and head in, taking the car and  racing through morning traffic a bit more than he probably should. When he gets there, he heads to M’s office directly.

The door is shut when he gets off the lift, so he stops by Eve’s desk, “Good morning, Ms. Moneypenny, enjoy the holidays?”

She grins at him, nodding once, “It was fun. Missy even enjoyed the gift you sent for us.”

“Excellent,” he hums, he had sent them a gift card to a rather upscale establishment, along with a bottle of each of theirs favorite drinks. Because why not. He was going to spend his Christmas with his little family, he can spread the joy.

The door opens, and the head of financing comes out looking a bit flustered.

“ _Send him in,_ ” M states over the intercom.

“You heard him Bond, go on in.” Eve tells him, eyes gleaming mischievously.

Whistling softly, he enters the office, glancing around out of habit as he comes to stop just in front of the desk.

“Holidays over, it’s time to get back to work. We were notified this morning of a terrorist cell,” M begins before launching into the details about what the situation was and who he was going to be working with in dealing with the cell.

When the director is nod, he nods, stating, “M,” before leaving and heading to the Q Branch in order to get whatever supplies he is going to need.

Knowing Q, he’ll get all the necessary supplies and a little bit extra.

Downstairs, he finds the dark haired boffin in the middle of the room, giving directions to one of the other Double-O’s, though he doesn’t know which one until the quartermaster hisses, “0010 either follow directions or bring your ass back here and I will send someone who bloody well listens when I tell them something. If you think I won’t you are sadly mistaken.”

He doesn’t hear the response, but considering Q loosens up a bit, she must be paying attention now.

R appears beside him, commenting, “The holiday went better than expected, nothing major happened. So of course that went away first thing this morning before Q got here. Nikki was getting ready to call him in when she realized that he was already on his way.”

He nods in understanding, he’s seen it go from exceedingly calm for weeks at a time to bloody insane and all hands on deck. That’s actually how they ended up going from ten Double-O’s to twenty in the last few years.  “I’ll wait.”

“Alright,” she agrees, leaving to go check with some of the other analysts working in the bullpen.

“Bond, I have all your documents and equipment,” Q remarks after spending five more minutes telling 0010 what to do.

She’s one of the new agents. One of the ones that his partner was uncertain should have been promoted so soon. However her results and scores had been excellent, so she got the promotion when the previous 0010 retired out after having his knee destroyed in an explosion.

“Perfect,” he almost purrs, stepping a little bit closer than he really needs to.

“Try not to blow everything up,” Q remarks, lips tilting up in the hints of a smirk.

A silver case is handed to him, within it is his Walther, a radio, a few of the EMP grenades, and a watch.

“The watch has an explosive in it, press both buttons in at the same time for 10 seconds and toss, it will make quite a mess.” The boffin informs him. “Try not to use the watch unless you don't have any other choice.”

He nods, “I don’t set out to blow everything up,” he retorts with a playful smirk.

“Right,” it’s drawn out and sarcastically said, “I’ve heard that before.”

He steps closer for just a moment, almost touching before murmuring, “Q,” and taking his leave.

Time to get back to work. 


	4. Returning to New York

Harold’s POV

The flight back to smoother than expected. He’s looking forward to getting back to work. Mostly because he hasn’t figured out what to do about the change in dynamic with Mr. Reese.

Then there is the fact he is in less pain now than he has been in years. Q’s formula did a great deal more than he was expecting. His leg still has some stiffness and his spine is still fused, but the overall pain levels are down. According to the scans done with the portable ultrasound and x-rays, a lot of the muscle damage has been repaired. He’s even gained some of his sight that has been gradually been failing back.

He still couldn’t run, even if he wanted to, but he could walk a bit faster.

He’s keeping Bear as a service dog, because it feels like the right thing to do. Besides, as much as he doesn’t like to admit it, he’s very fond of the pup. Beyond that, Bear was a gift from John. Even if that wasn’t the way he was intended.

John.

He seriously needs to make up his mind what to do. The problem, as he sees it, is he doesn’t know what Mr. Reese wants from him. So they will continue this dance that they have going on. At least until he has a better idea of what his companion feels in regards to him.

When the jet lands, a man dressed far too casually for someone with such a serious expression and the authority he displays, brings them through customs without having to deal with all of the security.

“You’ve got yourself a powerful friend,” the man is looking at Mr. Reese as he speaks, “Q informed Langley in no uncertain terms that they were to call off Snow or he’d deal with the situation himself. You can imagine what those in charge had to say about that.”

The barest hint of a smirk is the only outward reaction Mr. Reese has to that information.

“Welcome back,” the man states before walking away, not saying anything else.

“Who was that?” He asks once they are in the car several minutes later.

“Felix Leiter, he’s a bit of a liaison with SIS. Q borrowed him last year for that situation where agents kept getting captured.” Mr. Reese replies as he puts the car in gear.

He just hums in response, thinking about it and wondering why his brother did that.

When they get to the library, he boots up the system, finding a collection of emails and reports waiting for him on the Numbers taken care of while they were gone. There was thirteen successes and one failure. He also finds a message from Q telling him about why he had a word with Langley.

Apparently it boils down to the fact he’s met Snow and really wanted to shoot him himself. Then there is the added bonus of not having to hide from them means there is one less person trying to kill his partner. At the very bottom of the email there is a happy birthday wish, reminding him that Q is aware of his real birthday and not just the ones he uses for the various documentation.

Leave it to his younger brother to figure out the best sort of gift for him and be correct about it. 


	5. Long Haul

James’ POV

Q is his primary handler for this mission, though R and Nikki also deal with him when Q is unavailable for some reason

He’s on a hunt and kill mission, but of a different variety than he normally gets assigned. This one requires a bit of a long term play, even partly infiltrating the group, making them think that he is going to join them. From Q he learns exactly how nervous that makes their partner who had been on a similar mission before getting betrayed. It makes him smile, the thought that Alec actually gives a damn about what happens to him enough that bothers the older man.

At night, when he is somewhere relatively safe, safe enough to catch cat naps anyways, he dreams of being at home. It’s quite an odd feeling. He never expected to have a home. Not a real one. Yet he does. With an ex-Double-O and the current quartermaster of Six.

That’s a rather interesting discovery. He still has the drive and daring to do the missions. The don’t fucking care temperament that allows him to survive situations that’d kill someone else. Now he also has a reason to survive. A rather big reason at that.

He’s careful with the equipment, not because he doesn’t want to use it but because he doesn’t know where he will get more. Not that it saves it. He ends up using two of the four EMP’s within the first week, and another in the third week.

It’s week five when he actually gets a chance to meet his target, and just hours after that he has a plan for killing the lot of them but not nearly enough bullets. So first he will have to get more supplies. Q helps him out with that, giving him the addresses of several different weapons dealers. That has him laughing because of course the boffin knows of the local weapons dealers.

He acquires everything he needs to destroy the organization, and then he starts destroying them. He’s quick and efficient. Killing each and every one of them he can find before setting of the EMP and destroying the building with a well timed explosion.

It’s the beginning of the sixth week when he is finally able to go home. It takes several days of traveling before he is able to report to Q handing over the Walther as it’s the only part of his equipment besides the earwig to survive.

“Very good Bond, it’s excellent to see the equipment used the way I designed it and not fed to a dragon,” Q teases gently, setting the case aside and striding towards his office.

He follows the dark haired man to the office shutting the door behind them and drawing Q close to give him a long hug. Closing his eyes, he just breathes in the scent that he’s come to associate with his boffin.

“I missed you,” he murmurs against dark waves.

Q hugs him back, head tipping slightly to press a light kiss against his chin.

Several minutes are spent with him continuing to hold the younger man before he finally steps back.

“I need to report to M.” He states softly, not actually wanting to.

“Yes,” Q agrees with a warm smile, “I’ll see you when I get home since I’m sure you’ll be done before me.”

Home. That makes warmth rush through him, he’s home. Alec will probably make them dinner. Then the three of them will spend the evening cuddling. He’ll get to decompress.


	6. Uneasy

Alec’s POV

He doesn’t like the fact James is sent on a mission a lot like the one he was sent on when he went undercover for Arkhangelsk. It makes him edgy and Q spends most of the first week working on comforting him, though he doesn’t actually call it. He’s still uneasy about it as it goes into week two.

There are a couple of long shifts where Q has to stay late at Six in order to help James or one of the other agents currently in the field. On the days after, when his love has the day off, the hacker checks on their partner via the laptop, breaking in through his private log in. The one that isn’t supposed to exist and the only other hacker in the world that might have a chance to get through is Harold.

At the beginning of week four, he realizes that part of his problem with James being gone is the fact it feels odd with just the two of them sharing the bed. He’s gotten used to the blue eyed spy sleeping on the other side of their shared love.

When during the fourth week Q calls him one evening and asks if he has any advice on weapons dealers, despite the fact he’s technically been out of the business a while, he understands exactly what the hacker is thinking. While he doesn’t know if any of them are still around, they’ll be a good starting point, and from what his love says when the younger man gets home, they were a perfect point to work from. James should be home sometime in the next fourteen days.

He sees the explosion in the news a few days later. A terrorist cell had an accident that destroyed the entire compound, killing everyone within. Yet not a single civilian in the area was injured or killed, which makes him think that it was a carefully constructed to do maximum damage to the building and none to the surrounding areas. He didn’t know that James had that sort of talent with explosive actually.

Q had just laughed about it that evening when they had discussed it, telling him about the fact James used to be in the navy, his specialty being in explosives.

He just grinned in response, commenting, “That explains why he likes making things go boom so much.”

That night Q had relaxed, reassured that their partner was on the way home.

It’s the middle of week six, while he’s on a case for Michael, that James gets home. He gets a text from Q when their partner walks into Six.  He makes it a point to wrap things up so he can head home. It doesn’t go quite as fast as he wants, but when he walks in the front door, the blue eyed spy is napping on their sofa, head buried in Q’s pillow, the one used when they nest.

He smiles, sure it’s a soft expression because he’s relieved to see his friend and co-partner is home safe and sound. Probably hasn’t slept much in the last weeks.

He’ll make some of James’ favorites for dinner tonight. Q’s going to want to cuddle, and he’s perfectly fine with that. After all, he knows his love, and he knows their partner, cuddling is an important of the decompressing, and he’s all for it. 


	7. Frustrated or Amused

M’s POV

He’s gotten rather used to being the second one informed of things rather than the first. Particularly when it comes to the quartermaster and his frustratingly high popularity among the staff. However he really doesn’t appreciate when Q or one of the Double-O’s nearly causes an international incident. He’s mostly used to it out of the agents, not so much with the boffin.

He’s not sure whether to laugh or cry when he gets a call from the director at Langley. Apparently Q made a call to the man, listed some information that should be exactly nowhere and known by no one, and given the director a very firm order, along with a threat.

They spend a few minutes discussing that order, before he makes the rather bland suggestion that it’s listened to, Q doesn’t make casual calls like that. If he’s doing so, it’s for a very good reason. Afterwards he decides he’ll send the man a case of scotch, the good sort and not that cheap knock off that can be easily found.

Not an hour later Q notifies him of some information from a confidential source that is rather concerning. A complete file is quickly put together and he knows exactly how it needs to be dealt with, the question is who would he trust with such a task? All of the agents that work undercover long term and excel are currently on projects. Actually most of the Double-O’s, all but four of them, are already in the field. Of those four, who would have the highest chance of success?

He ends up settling on Bond. There will probably be a massive mess, but he has the highest chance of succeeding and if Q works his magic, in that case it might be done in something akin to a covert manner. Not that Bond seems to be familiar with the word, despite his career path.

So he calls 007 in, briefs him, and sends him to Q Branch in order to get the paperwork in order.

He’s curious who the confidential source is, but he’s betting that if he was to ask after it, Q wouldn’t say. It’s not the first time they have gotten this sort of information. It probably won’t be the last. Each and every time they do it turns out to be exceedingly accurate and leads to a terrorist plot being disturbed. Sometimes major ones, sometimes minor ones. In either case, they are discovered before they can claim lives.

He trusts the source for one reason, and one alone: Q. The quartermaster would not risk his agents on something that is false. He’s seen exactly how far the dark haired genius is willing to go in order to save them.

In the meanwhile he will go over all the other active missions going on right now and review the finances for the budget committee. He’s moderately certain he has a few other engagements he also has to deal with, but he trusts that Ms. Moneypenny will remind him of anything he forgets. She’s exceedingly diligent like that. 


	8. Home

James’ POV

He wakes up when the door to the flat opens but quickly goes back to sleep when he realizes that it’s only Alec.

The next time he wakes up, his co-partner is cooking something that smells mouth watering good. Stretching lazily, he dislodges the cat laying on him as he gets up and heads towards the kitchen. He wants to check what is being cooked and smells so amazing. His lips curl in a smile when he realizes it’s all things he favors.

Their relationship might only be friends but the blonde still makes it a point to take care of him almost as much as Q is cared for.

Speaking of, “What time is he due home?”

“Half hour or so,” Alec answers with a quick glance at him.

He nods, leaning against the frame of the door and watching his co-partner. He loves the little domestic moments like this. A fact that had surprised him at first. Until he had managed to reconcile that it’s alright to want something that he isn’t used to being able to have. He can still be Bond, the apex predator for Six, and love having a home life where he’s just James. It helps that both members in the relationship can easily understand the dualism that exists for him.

He heads to his room, debating about whether he should grab a shower or not. Q’s not going to be home for half hour, which means dinner probably won’t be done until then either. So now would be a perfect time for him to do so. Picking out some sweats to wear, he heads to the second bathroom, the one that has the hand rails for when a little extra help is needed, in order to get cleaned up.

The hot water feels wonderful against his skin, and he finds himself relaxing under it. He still has mostly vague memories of Q standing in this shower with him, hands gentle as the dark haired genius took care of him. That moment, when soft amber eyes had asked for trust, he’d known that what he wanted was the impossible, so he would pretend and keep the memory close. He hadn’t expected the massive change the following day, the one where he was offered what he wanted.

It was their terribly wonderful beginning.

He’s just getting out when he hears Q call out a greeting, making him smile. Of all the outcomes he expected, what he has isn’t one of them and nearly a year later, he still can’t believe his luck. Actually, with their anniversary coming up, he should definitely plan something for it. To mark the fact that it has been a year since they started this and everything has gone mostly wonderfully.

He can definitely do that. He knows that his partners marked their anniversary already, so he won’t be pushing any boundaries with doing something for the three of them. Of course, he doesn’t know if they actually want to celebrate it, but he’s going to assume they do unless otherwise told. He’s been doing better with the self-doubt regarding them.

Dressing, he heads out to the living room just in time for Alec to declare dinners done.

Yes, he has wonderful partners. 


	9. Breathless

Q’s POV

He smiles as he drifts, not quite asleep but definitely not fully awake. He’s toasty warm and comfortable, snuggled between his significant others in bed.

Alec is playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. Lips pressed against his temple softly. He can practically _feel_ the love and affection in that gentle gesture. It’s wonderful. It reminds him that the sardonyx blonde is his best friend first and foremost, with everything past that a breathtaking bonus.

James is tracing letters and words against his skin, patterns that his mind recognizes. His ash blonde love is expressing gratitude, affection, a quiet sort of love. There’s a shyness to the spy that makes him want to wrap James up in comfortable blankets and just hold him.

“You both know I love you,” he remarks, trying for a question but his sleepy tone coming out as a statement instead.

The sardonyx blonde smiles against his temple, nuzzling along to just behind his ear, “Of course Q.”

The blue eyed spy goes still, as if it’s a revelation, reminding him of the fact that he startled James the last time he said love.

“I do, maybe not the same sort of love, but I love both of you,” he declares, catching his second partner’s hand with his own. Drawing it up to his lips to press a light kiss against James’ knuckles.

“Q,” the younger spy murmurs, shifting his position slightly so he can press their lips together in a light kiss, hands coming up to cup his face, thumbs stroking his jaw and cheeks.

He smiles into the kiss, kissing James back.

There is a different sort of passion to these kisses. It’s not about sex but connection, a desire to show affection in any way possible. They’re gentle and drawn out, leaving him breathless when they break apart.

The ash blonde’s eyes are hot, fiery passion and tempered joy. Acceptance and love.

He kisses James again, because he can, hands stroking and lightly caressing everything he can reach. This time he’s not the only one breathless when they break apart.

Calloused fingers run along the edge of his jaw, encouraging him to turn slightly. As soon as he does, Alec kisses him, making him hum in pleasure.

He doesn’t pay attention to how long the three of them go back and forth with the kisses, he simply enjoys it. Eventually he finishes falling asleep, still pressed close to his loves. He’s certain of their affection and regard, their love. His wonderful Double-O’s.

Hopefully nothing ever changes this. He would be heartbroken if something did. While he knows there are risks with their career paths, and those he accepts, it’s any other ruination that he is worried about. He’d do anything in his power to keep them safe and to make sure they know that this is their home. It might be silly, but he’s definitely going to embrace that feeling and make sure that they know it. They’re _his_ and he’ll make sure they know exactly how much he cares about them. 

**Author's Note:**

> Publishing schedule, I will try & update one or two stories on Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. For the 007 Fest there will be at least one Bond related story each day of the month of July. 
> 
> Tumblr about my writing [JaimiStoryTeller](http://jaimistoryteller.tumblr.com/money) and recently got a twitter to post about drawing & writing @jaimist0
> 
> I love reviews, comments, and any other sort of communication, feel free to stop in to say hi


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